August 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
231 
compass, so that they may he got into ordinary-sized 
pots when taken up, and receive less check in the 
operation; whereas, it' the roots are allowed a free 
scope all the autumn, they will travel so far from 
the common centre that no pots large enough can he 
got for them, so that either the roots must he 
cramped close together, or, as is most generally the 
case, the best part of them cut away altogether, and 
this at the very moment when the more active ones 
are wanted to sustain the vigour of the plant. 
I have often heard the plan of planting them out 
for the summer spoken against, and I have no doubt 
this was owing to the bad management of their 
roots; and I am equally certain that the amateur, 
who has only a few hours in the day to look after his 
plants, will tind the planting out system the best, if 
lie will but attend to these simple rules. Many soft 
wooded plants, such as Brugmansias, might be thus 
planted out in the borders for the summer, and, by 
a timely curtailment of them roots, be removed back 
into pots without the least danger. We all know 
how very luxuriant such plants will grow after the 
beginning of August, and how difficult it is to ripen 
this late growth in our damp climate; but by cutting 
through one-half of their roots at one time, and the 
other half a week or two afterwards, we prevent this 
luxuriance, and at the same time we are laying a 
foundation for a set of young healthy roots near at 
home. Sometimes it is necessary to dig out the soil 
from one side of a large woody plant, so as to get 
below it, to cut off some main fangs or tap roots, but 
this should also lie carefully performed, and, one by 
one, a third of these large roots cut at a time, and 
the opening to be slushed in with water. Any body 
who knows one end of a spade from the other might 
take up plants so treated late in the autumn, without 
losing a leaf; and thousands of beautiful plants, 
taken from the borders on the approach of frost, are 
sacrificed every season for want of these precautions. 
This chrysanthemum business has involved us into 
such a wide field of operations, not dreamed of half 
an hour ago, that want of space alone compels me to 
stop ; for when one lets the mind have its own way 
in relating or describing operations in gardening, 
and among flowers particularly, the difficulty is to 
press back the accumulations of thoughts which 
strive to be first out. D. Beaton. 
HOTHOUSE DEPARTMENT. 
Insects. —The man who commences gardening 
with high hopes of pleasure and ultimate success 
must do so, if he wishes to preserve serenity of mind, 
with the full conviction that there are disappoint¬ 
ments to be met with, and enemies to be encountered, 
that for diversity and number may well be denomi¬ 
nated Legion. It is not our present purpose to refer 
to the effects of an unpropitious season, when the 
hopes and exertions of months are dashed in an 
hour, but shortly to allude to some of the best 
means of keeping down, or destroying, some of those 
insects, which, though small when individually ex¬ 
amined, are yet capable, when wielding the power 
which congregated masses possess, of contesting with 
us for the produce of our skill and the results of our 
labour. I do this not because I have anything novel 
to advance, but simply because knowing it as a fact 
that many of my amateur friends are in trouble upon 
the subject; that they frequently resort to expensive 
and yet roundabout means for effecting a remedy; 
and that not seldom the remedy is as bad as the di¬ 
sease, the plants being next to totally destroyed along 
with the insects—a result which might have been 
averted had they been conversant with the experi¬ 
ence of others, obtained by many a hard and un¬ 
couth knock, when there was no Cottage Gar¬ 
dener,, or other cheap periodical, to pioneer the way: 
and I do so, in addition, to prevent frequent repeti¬ 
tion, and because convinced that, however distasteful 
it is to see plants covered with vermin out of doors, 
the sight becomes intolerable under the protection of 
our glass houses. Amongst these our opponents, 
all existing for wise purposes—all tending, if no¬ 
thing else, to incite us to activity and industry, with¬ 
out which man cannot be happy—one of the most 
prevalent and devastating in its ravages is the 
Aphis, Plant-Louse, or Green Fly. —It unhappily 
needs no description. Every man who grows a rose 
bush, a peach tree, a cucumber, or a melon plant, 
will, unless he be peculiarly favoured, ere long have 
the misfortune of beholding it. The rapidity with 
which this insect increases is truly astonishing. No 
wonder if their sudden appearance was looked upon 
by the ignorant as something supernatural, and that 
even philosophers, who ought to have known better, 
from these and many similar events, have talked 
wildly about spontaneous generation, and mere mat¬ 
ter waiting to become organised. Reaumur calcu¬ 
lated that one aphis may be the progenitor in five 
generations of nearly six billions of descendants, 
and also that it is ]iossible that ten successive gene¬ 
rations may be produced by some of the species 
during one summer. The first generation is ovipa¬ 
rous, that is, produced in spring from eggs deposited 
in autumn. Their extraordinary increase in sum¬ 
mer is owing to the fact that the young are vivipa¬ 
rous, or produced alive. Towards autumn eggs are 
deposited for the first brood the following spring, and 
thus the same returning warmth, that unlocks the 
bud, hatches the egg of the insect to feed upon it. 
Hence the practice of daubing over our deciduous 
fruit-trees, &c., during winter and early spring, with 
some adhesive mixture, the object being either to de¬ 
stroy the eggs of insects or prevent as much as pos¬ 
sible the hatching and escape of the young. Some 
have wings, others seem destitute of them, and 
different families of plants seem to be attacked by 
different species, but all partaking of a kindred cha¬ 
racter. The injury they occasion is very great, by 
extracting the vital juices of a plant by means of 
their long slender proboscis. Soon even our fields 
would be turned into barrenness if it were not for 
birds and the larva of other insects which feed upon 
them. 
Well, leaving out of doors, what are we to do 
with those that infest our plants within? They are 
extremely soft, and may easily be crushed between 
the thumb and a couple of fingers as they adhere 
around a bud or at the termination of a shoot. The 
part should be syringed afterwards, to prevent their 
juices adhering. “Oh, horrid! I could not do such 
a dirty, cruel thing!” Dirty! the man who would 
garden must not be over-sentimental about bis finger- 
ends. Gloves! aye, use them if you will; they may 
be suitable for ladies, and liave been recommended 
for gardeners by the best friend they ever had.* 
Though respectfully differing from that great teacher 
here, unless when thorns and bushy briers were con¬ 
cerned, we should look upon their use by gardeners 
as involving just a shade more wisdom than arraying 
puss in boots. Cruel! A peasant girl, when sensi- 
* The late Mr. Loudon. 
